The Man of Tomorrow
by okmangeez
Summary: Darren Park never saw himself as a hero. But when he is tossed through the fabrics of space to help save another world from disaster and is given superpowers, will he be able to take up the mantle of a hero? Or will he fall short and only delay the inevitable?
1. Chapter 1

When I woke up after being struck by a bus, all I saw was white and emptiness. It seemed like I was floating in mid-air, but at the same time, I was standing firmly on the ground. Despite my raging headache, I stumbled around a bit to find out just _where_ the hell I was. It sure didn't look like a hospital room, so I assumed that I was either in heaven, hell, or a waiting room before I was judged by God.

That's when the panic set in.

Usually, I'm not a person to panic or lose my cool, but being stuck in a weird place with nothing for miles on end changed that. I walked around nervously to find an exit, only to discover that I was unable to track my progress because of the white emptiness around me. After a few minutes (or was it hours?), I sat on the ground quietly and waited for _something _to appear and explain to me what the hell was going on.

While I waited, my thoughts wandered back to the final moments of my life. I was going about my day as normal at my university when I saw a girl about to be struck by a bus. She was on her phone and had her headphones plugged in without a care for the world. Right as she was about to be struck by the incoming bus, I tackled her and pushed her out of the way. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough to dodge the bus myself and was struck by the vehicle in her place.

Why would I risk my life for some random stranger? Well, for one thing, I _did_ want to save her simply because I could. I didn't want to save her because I wanted fame or glory (though, the free tuition money from getting hit by a bus _did_ seem a bit appealing). I just jumped to save her because her life was at risk, and to me, that was worth it. During my entire life, I just wanted to help people in any way possible. Going out of my way to save a life at the risk of my own? That was something I would do in a heartbeat, and I did.

Maybe it was because I considered myself an extreme underachiever and saw anyone else's life as more important than mine. But hey, at least I did something useful by saving someone's life.

"And are you proud of what you have accomplished?"

"Yep! No doubt about it at all."

I thought I was turning insane and speaking to a voice in my head, but then I realized that the question was asked by someone else. I quickly turned to the source of the voice and discovered an elderly man in white robes standing behind me. I stared at him for a few seconds and blinked, "Wait, you weren't there before."

The elderly man chuckled, "I was always here. I was just invisible to your eyes."

"So... are you God?"

He looked amused as he ignored my question, "To think, that in a different world, you would have been a superhero. But instead, you were born on Earth Negative, the only Earth without any mutants, aliens, or anything really."

I raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry _Earth Negative_? _Superheroes_? _Mutants_?"

"Right! I apologize, my mind tends to wander. I do have trillions of thoughts going through my mind at all times," The elderly "man" replied, "Now then, Darren Sunwoo Park. You are correct, I am "God." My full title is "The God of All Universes."

"Then am I being judged right now?"

God waved his hand dismissively, "No, no. I understand that you were a Christian during your life on Earth Negative, but I am not the Christian God. I am an entirely different being."

Backing up nervously, I remained on guard as I stared at the deity. If he's a different God, then am I going to be struck down by him for worshipping a God that isn't him?

"No need to fear, I have no intentions to send you to "Hell" or strike you down. And yes, I can read your mind."

"That's fantastic," I grumbled, feeling a bit more relaxed than before.

"The _real_ reason why I am speaking with you is simple," God held out his palm and an orb appeared out of nowhere. The orb floated a few inches above his hand and played a few different recordings that I somewhat recognized. The recordings were playing scenes from the Marvel movies, but with a few differences. It seemed as though there were far more superhumans running around in the world he was showing me, "Earth 200000, a very unique Earth, with a few key differences than the world your Earth calls, "The Marvel Cinematic Universe."

I held up my hand in confusion, "Wait! Can you explain to me what these different "Earths" are and how it all relates to me?"

The deity looked at me with pity and sighed, "I forget that your world is more "primitive" than the other ones. But to put it simply, the multiverse theory is real, and your Earth is the "Creator" Earth. While heroes and supervillains do not exist in your world, your world "creates" other realities that do and allows them to exist."

"Are you saying that every comic book, movie, and stuff like that were made on my Earth _created _new universes?"

"Yes. Which is why your world is called "Earth Negative," or a world without superheroes and mutants. Yet, your world is the "brainchild" of all the other universes. Even now, your Earth is creating more and more alternate realities, though Negative Earth can not be reached by any alternate Earths it has created as that would forever destroy the balance of the universe."

"I am so lost," I moaned.

God let out a booming laugh, "You will understand one day. I believe it is now time for me to explain the reason why I have summoned you, even after your death on Earth Negative. You see, I have a mission for you. You will be "assigned" to Earth 200000 in order to save it, with or without your permission. Like I mentioned before, Earth 200000 is similar to Earth 199999, or the Marvel Cinematic Universe as your world calls it. But it has many more dangerous threats than Earth 199999. In fact, I have come to realize that the heroes of that world are not prepared for the storm that is about to descend upon them. As of right now, Earth 200000 will be destroyed within ten years' time."

"Wait, why me? I don't have any superpowers or anything, so I don't think I can be much of help. And since you mentioned that there are big differences between Earth 199999 and Earth 200000."

"Ah, but who said that you won't have powers?" God smiled mischievously.

I opened my mouth and closed it shut instantly as God continued to speak, "I won't reveal all the information about Earth 200000, because that is something that you will need to discover on your own. However, I will generously provide you with powers that will make you one of the most powerful beings on Earth 200000. And in turn, you will use those powers to help the heroes on that Earth to save it from destruction."

"How do you know I won't abuse my powers and use them for evil?"

"Because I _know_ who you are, child. There's a reason why I have picked you. I picked you because you have all the right qualities of a hero: brave, caring, empathetic, and willing to do what's right. After all, you died because you saved a total stranger from being struck by a bus."

I silenced myself after his reply, as I didn't want to test an actual deity's patience.

"I already know what powers I will bestow upon you in my mind. You will need to practice to use them, but you should recognize who the powers belong to once you settle in. As I said before, your task is simple: save Earth 200000 and use your powers for good. Oh, and try not to reveal that you are from Earth Negative, otherwise, I will be _extremely_ unhappy. "

He snapped and my vision instantly went dark.

* * *

I nearly swore as I regained consciousness. Right before God "snapped" me away from his plane of existence, my raging headache finally cleared up. But now? My headache was back and it was worse than before. When I tried to stand up I discovered three things right away.

The first thing I discovered was that I was in the living room of a large house.

The second thing I discovered was that my body felt _uncomfortable_ as if it didn't belong to me.

The third thing I discovered was that a gun was pointed at my head.

"Who the hell are you?"

I turned out to see a man with an uncanny resemblance to Samuel L. Jackson pointing a pistol directly at my head.

"Stark, is this one of your employees?"

"No, I've never seen him in my life."

I didn't turn my head as my eyes were focused on the gun in front of me, but I recognized that voice anywhere: the voice of Robert Downey Jr. Either I was really transported to "Earth 200000," or I was thrown into the movie set of Ironman. I didn't know which one was more unbelievable, but I was pretty sure the former was what really happened due to my talk with God.

Despite my rather calming thinking at this time, my hands were visibly shaking and nervous drops of sweat trickled down my face.

Jackson, aka Nick Fury, pressed the gun towards my forehead and frowned, "Listen kid, you better explain yourself _fast_ or this will get ugly. Now _talk_. Who are you, what was that bright light, and how the hell did you get in here?"

Just then, a bright light materialized again and Fury discharged his weapon in panic. I closed my eyes as I expected the bullet to kill me instantly, but instead, I felt the bullet bounce off the back of my head. When I opened my eyes to see what happened, I saw the bullet on the ground, completely smashed.

When the light disappeared completely, I saw that Fury was looking at me with a mixture of horror and surprise on his face. Meanwhile Stark was no longer in the room, which made me presume that he ran out during the light show. The man with the eyepatch spotted something glowing on the ground and proceeded to pick it up, with his gun pointed at me the entire time.

The glowing object was a white envelope with a golden seal on it. Cautiously, Fury opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. As he read the content of the paper, his lone eye grew wider and wider, "Shit."

"Er, if you don't mind, I can explain who I am," I said warily, carefully eyeing Fury's gun.

"I think _this_," Fury placed the paper in front of me for me to read, "Explains" almost everything. But feel free to make me even more confused."

The piece of paper was a letter from God, apparently informing the reader that I was from a different universe and I was sent to this universe to help them deal with future threats and problems. It also explained that I needed an official identity for this world, as it was now my "permanent" home, and that I was to train my powers constantly to get used to them. Strangely, the letter appealed to Tony Stark directly. As for my powers themselves, the letter only mentioned that I had some of the powers of "one of the greatest heroes of all time."

"So, did this letter explain everything, or do you have anything weirder to tell me?"

I gulped, "I think that's pretty much everything."

"Everything you _know_, or everything that you _want_ to tell me?"

"The latter."

Fury looked at me with suspicion in his lone eye, "I don't know what kind of trick you're trying to pull, but for now, I'm placing you under arrest and interrogating you to see what's _really_ going on."

I let out a sigh of relief as Fury lowered his gun and slapped cuffs on me. I don't know how I managed to survive his gunshot, but maybe I was under divine protection or something for some time. After all, it would be a _bit_ pointless if I was killed two minutes after I arrived on this Earth.

Suddenly, an iron suit entered the room and pointed all its repulsors at me, "Oh, you already have him under control?"

"He didn't put up a fight," Fury touched his right ear, "I need a few agents to escort a potential meta-human at Stark's Mansion, immediately."

"Meta-human?" Stark asked.

The Director of Shield let out a nasty grin, "You still have much to learn, Stark. Now might be a good time to learn, especially since that letter mentioned your name."

Iron Man looked lowered his repulsors and took the letter from Fury's hands. Even though I couldn't see Stark's face, I knew he was surprised at what he was reading, "This kid is from a _different universe?_"

"Apparently, which is why we're going to interrogate him for more information. I suggest you come along. You and I both might learn a few new interesting things today."

As I was taken away from Stark's Mansion and dragged into an armored truck, my head was spinning from both my headache and my thoughts. While I was a fan of the Marvel movies in general, I was unable to recall if the term "meta-human" was a thing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But it wasn't too surprising since God warned me that this world was not exactly the same as Earth 199999. I guessed that I arrived just moments after the end of the first Ironman movie, as that was the first time Fury visited Stark and it seemed like the two barely knew each other. Everything was confusing as hell and I tugged at the handcuffs in frustration. To my surprise, the handcuffs showed incredible amounts of strain as I pulled them apart. When I added a bit more strength to my arms, the chain on the handcuffs broke cleanly, but my wrists were perfectly fine.

When God said "one of the greatest heroes of all time," he didn't mean...

I wanted to test out the ideas in my head, but I restrained myself for now. I didn't want to try and escape, because I knew absolutely no one in this world. Of I attempted to escape, then I would be branded as a criminal and hunted down by SHIELD The last thing I wanted was SHIELD on my ass while I was alone in this world. So despite my broken handcuffs, I sat still and pondered about what my abilities were.

The truck stopped after driving for some time and when the doors to the back opened, I was escorted out by four SHIELD agents. It took them a few moments to realize that I was unrestrained, but they didn't even blink an eye as they slapped on another handcuff around my wrists. As a precaution, they had two rifles trained on my back as they escorted me into a large compound with numerous buildings.

Before I entered one of the buildings, one of the agents blindfolded me and the two agents behind me guided me with the barrels of their guns. I was a bit disappointed when I realized that I didn't have x-ray vision, but followed the directions of my guides quietly. After several minutes, I assumed I arrived at my destination because I was brought to a halt and strapped tightly to a chair. When the agents were confident that I was completely immobile and harmless, they removed my blindfold.

I blinked my eyes and looked around to see that I was in a dull interrogation room. Fury and Stark, who was still in his Iron Man suit, sat across a table and looked at me intensely. We stared at each other for a few moments before Fury spoke, "So, let's begin. _Who the hell are you_?"

"Darren Sunwoo Park. I'm twenty-one years old, a fourth-year in college..."

Fury snorted, "We've just started and you're already lying about your age? You don't look a day over fourteen, son. I'll give you one more chance to explain yourself. Otherwise, you might spend a _long_ time in a cell. And I've heard that you have some sort of ability to break handcuffs, so that cell will be _very_ secure."

I glanced at the one-way mirror that was to my right and I gasped when I saw my face. Fury was right, I looked like a pre-teen and I was shorter. But for some reason, my body was extremely ripped compared to before. I shook my head to focus and turned back to the two men in front of me, "I don't know _how_, but I swear I was twenty-one... in the other world to say the least."

"So you're claiming that you're really from another world and sent by "God" to "help" us?"

"Yes!" I answered frantically.

"Prove it," The man crossed his arms unconvinced.

How the _hell_ was I supposed to prove that I was from another universe?

In my mind, I pleaded for some sort of answer from God. But God remained silent.

"Judging by your silence, you're either a liar or mentally ill. I'm going to go with both," Fury growled.

A bright light shined in the room once again and "God" appeared, "Really now, you couldn't make it past the first hour without my help?"

Fury drew his sidearm again, but looked aghast as it disappeared once God snapped his fingers, "Oh please, don't point that thing at me."

"Are you the sender of this letter?" Stark asked as he waved the paper in front of him, "Are you really "God?"

"Yes, yes. I am God. Now listen here. I have sent this young man to your world so that he could help protect your world from all the dangers that lie ahead, but instead of welcoming him with open arms, you're interrogating him!"

"Well, your letter was hardly convincing. And how are we supposed to know that you aren't some illusion?" Fury retorted.

God looked furious and snapped his fingers a few times. Each time he snapped his fingers, we were teleported to different places on Earth; we were sent everywhere from the Himalayas to the Arctic. He also materialized several different animals out of thin air into the interrogation room and finally stopped using his powers once Stark and Fury looked rattled, "Now do you believe me? Or do you want me to do something even more convincing?"

"I think that's enough to convince me," The Samuel Jackson look-alike replied, his voice a bit quieter than before, "But are there really alternate universes?"

"Yes! And he's from a different Earth, called "Earth Negative." But you are to never ask him about that world, or force him to talk about his true background unless he allows it."

Fury scowled deeply as he glared at God, "Why do we need someone from another world to help us with our world's problems? Wouldn't it be simpler to inform us of the dangers that lie ahead, so that we can prepare for it ourselves?"

The deity frowned and jerked his thumb towards me, "Because there is no one in your world that can defeat the future threats. Only he can."

The two men stared at me as I shrugged.

"Now then, I will excuse myself as I have more important matters to attend to. So, Nicholas Joseph Fury? Play nice. You too, Anthony Edward Stark."

After God disappeared, Fury continued the interrogation, albeit with a bit more cautiousness than before, "He mentioned that you were the only one that will be able to stop the incoming threats to our world. What powers do you have to make him say that?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

The director slammed the desk in front of him and glared, "You don't know?"

"I was an ordinary human before I came to this world, but I was apparently granted superhuman powers by God."

Fury shook his head, "So let me get this straight. This "God" dumped you into our world, without telling you what your "special abilities" are, and now we're supposed to trust and support you so that you can _magically_ save our world one day?"

"Yes?"

"Unbelievable."

Stark, who was strangely quiet the entire time, looked at me like I was one of his Iron Man suits and rubbed his chin, "He's telling the truth."

"And how do you know?"

"Because JARVIS can scan and detect for any increase in heartbeats and odd movements to determine if a person is lying. Not saying I trust the kid, but he hasn't lied this entire time."

If Fury had heat vision, then he would have melted me on the spot, "I still don't have a good feeling about this."

"Then let me prove myself!" I blurted out desperately, "I'm not here to harm anyone or abuse my powers, whatever they may be. I wasn't sent here because I wanted to, but since I'm already here, please let me help."

The SHIELD director motioned for Tony to follow him and the two of them walked out the single entrance to the interrogation room. While I waited, I discreetly attempted to listen in on their conversation.

Then I heard them.

"Are you sure about this?" That was Fury's voice.

"Look, I'm still not convinced about his real identity, but he seems like a good kid. And if what we've been told is true, then the kid is far from home." And _that_ was Stark's voice.

I leaned forward to hear their conversation better and discovered that I could hear them clear as day.

One of them sighed audibly, "Stark, I don't know if you noticed, but this kid might be _dangerous_. I fired a bullet at him by accident..."

"You _shot_ him?"

"Accidentally. A bright ray of light appeared out of nowhere and I thought he was attacking me. But that's not the point! The point is, the bullet _bounced_ off the kid. Not only that, he broke a pair of handcuffs, a very durable version used by SHIELD, and he didn't have a scratch on him!"

"He didn't try to escape even after breaking the handcuffs and came with us willingly. Doesn't that count for something?"

A moment of silence passed between the two before Fury spoke again, "Fine, I'll give him a chance. Both you and I will keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't wander off to cause damage or kill civilians. But if he steps out of line, it's going to be on you Stark."

The pair entered the room again and sat down in their respective chairs. Fury folded his hands in front of him and looked at me, "After discussing with, Stark, I have decided that you will be placed under his care for the time being."

Stark looked a bit disgruntled but settled down quickly.

"I don't know what you can do, but if you're willing to help fight the threats that "God" mentioned earlier, then I'm willing to give you a chance."

"I'm willing to help out in any way I can," I immediately replied.

Fury nodded his head slowly, "Good. Now first things first. Before I let you wander off anywhere, I want to test your abilities so I have some idea of how powerful you are. You broke those handcuffs earlier, correct?"

My head bobbed up and down as the man continued to maintain his intense stare, "Try to break out of the restraints that are on you right now."

"Will I get in trouble for this?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on the black man's face, "Not this time, no."

I focused all my strength on my arms and legs to set myself free from the steel restraints that were keeping me stuck to the chair. A few seconds passed and I suddenly felt the restraints creaking from the pressure but they refused to break, "I don't think I can do it."

On cue, Fury pulled out a folder out of nowhere and scribbled a few things into the folder, "I might need to run a few more tests later on to see the extent of your strength. Now, come clean. Do you have any other powers that you used or know of?'

I gulped and wondered if I should mention my "Super Hearing." After a few moments of thinking, I decided that I wouldn't tell him about that particular power. It was a useful espionage tool and if Fury was going to try and make me "disappear" in the future, then the ability would come in handy, "Durability, or something like that. I'm not sure if I'm durable or I received some divine blessing so that I wouldn't die immediately after I was sent to this world."

"Well, there's one way to find out," Fury pulled out his gun again but Stark stopped him.

"You can test that out _after more tests_," Iron Man stated calmly as he lowered the man's handgun, "Anything else kid?"

"Not that I know of, but I have a few suspicions."

The cyclops stood up and closed his folder, "Well, I know a place where I can run a few more tests on you."

* * *

"Welcome to the Human Unordinary and Metahuman Association lab."

The Human Unordinary and Metahuman AssociatioN, or "HUMAN," was a subdivision of SHIELD which carried out research on meta-humans. From the short discussion Stark and I had with Fury, meta-humans existed, but they were very rare in this world. Apparently, only five "natural" meta-humans had been identified since SHIELD's establishment, along with a few "unnatural" ones, and the division existed to "contain and learn about metahumans." I was fairly impressed at the sight of HUMAN's lab, as it was both busy and spacious. The lab took up an entire building in the SHIELD compound and there were a dozen individuals carrying out experiments when we walked in. Of course, Fury ensured that a group of agents were behind us in case I attempted to cause chaos. They were all armed with a variety of weapons, ranging from an electric staff to a futuristic-looking rifle.

"Some of our brightest minds work here to discover the secrets behind meta-humans and to make sure that we have the proper countermeasures for them," Fury glanced at me and turned back to the lab in front of him, "Since you're unsure of what powers you have, I'll run a few tests on you to see what you are capable of."

"Sure," I replied anxiously. I was nervous at the possibility of being tested on, but I was also a bit excited to learn what I was truly capable of.

I was escorted into a small room within the lab that contained a strange machine with weights, "This machine is what we call the "Weight Curls." It looks like and is like a regular bicep curl machine. Some of our own agents use this to test the limits of their strength since this machine is hardly used anymore. However, this was originally created for a metahuman, so using this, we can get a rough estimate of how strong you really are. Since you shattered those handcuffs earlier, I'm guessing that you're going to beat the high score of our strongest agent."

"What's the max weight for this thing?"

"Five thousand pounds."

I let out a low whistle as I looked at the Weight Curls approvingly.

Fury showed me how to operate the machine and booted the machine up once I was ready, "We'll start low, with two hundred pounds."

I nearly lost the grip on the handle I was holding, but managed to tense up my muscles and pull on it. Surprisingly, the weight felt light for me, "I can handle this."

"Four hundred pounds."

The weights grew heavier and I felt my shoulders and arms struggle against the weight, "I still got it."

"Eight hundred pounds."

_That_ caught me off guard. I pulled up the weights with all my strength and managed to hold keep them suspended in the air. It seemed like Fury saw that I was straining and wanted to see how long I could hold up eight hundred pounds. I held that position for about half a minute before dropping them. When I finally released the handle that was attached to the weights, I looked at my hands incredulously. On "Earth Negative," I could barely bench press one hundred fifty pounds but on this Earth, I could lift eight hundred pounds. And I was fairly certain that I could lift weights that were slightly heavier if I needed to.

"Not bad," Fury said as he jotted down some notes into his folder, "But the tests aren't over."

The next test was simple. The director of SHIELD brought over a scalpel and attempted to cut my skin with it. I freaked out seeing the scalpel closing in on my skin, but Fury snorted in reply, "Kid, a direct gunshot to your head didn't even scratch you. Do you really think this scalpel will do anything?"

"Thank you for reminding me," I mumbled.

Fury ignored my comment and placed the sharp end of the scalpel gently on my skin. The blade proved to be ineffective, even when Fury used all his strength to cut my skin open.

"Stark, step back."

I stepped back nervously as Fury pulled out his gun again "Are you nuts? What if that last shot was a fluke and I die?"

"Then I'll say sorry, kid. Now standstill or I might miss."

A few hours into this universe, and I was getting shot (again) by one of the most paranoid men alive in this world. Go figure.

I waited silently for the man to fire his gun. It _seemed_ like he actually cared about my life and was carefully aiming to avoid shooting my organs or arteries. But knowing Nick Fury from the movies, he probably wanted me alive to carry out a few more experiments on me.

Finally, the bullet left Fury's handgun and struck my left arm. The bullet bounced off like earlier and the deformed aftermath landed on the ground.

"Well I'll be damned," He said as he picked up the crushed bullet, "So you _are_ bulletproof. How did that shot feel?"

"It felt like someone punched me lightly," I answered truthfully.

"Well then, Round Three."

My eyes opened widely as Fury signaled to Stark. Before I could object, Iron Man fired his repulsors and the beams of light struck my stomach head-on. The blast threw me back a few feet and knocked me onto the floor. I struggled to breathe for a few moments before I pushed myself up, "That hurt like a bitch."

Fury inspected my body thoroughly and discovered that I was perfectly fine, "Your clothes aren't on fire and your shirt isn't ripped."

I blinked and looked down at the casual wear I always wore when going to my university classes. He was right. My olive green army jacket and black jeans looked completely fine, though my white shirt was slightly singed.

"Interesting... An ability to transfer your durability factor to your clothing?" Fury looked at my clothes with a hungry eye.

I was just as curious as he was for the reasons behind my clothes' survival, but the man looked preoccupied with writing a few more things down onto his file, "You mentioned that you suspected that you had a few abilities other than those two before, correct?"

I nodded my head cautiously while Fury scanned the vicinity of the room, "What are they?"

"Frost breath, heat vision, x-ray vision, super speed, and flight."

"Are your powers based on someone in your world or one of these "other universes?"

"Yes... A guy named "Superman" in my world."

"And how is he handled in your world?" Fury inquired.

I tried to slow down my heart rate and avoid twitching as I replied to him, as I knew Stark was still keeping an eye on me, "He's a fictional character in my world, but the powers that I listed are from comic books and movies"

"I see... Does he have any weaknesses?"

I hesitated before answering, as I knew why he wanted to know that information. I decided to answer his question as vaguely as possible while maintaining my composure, "The only weakness I can recall is some unnatural green rocks that drained his powers."

If Fury suspected anything, his face gave nothing away, "For now, let's see if you have any of the other powers of this "Superman."

The tests took less than half an hour. I found out that I _didn't_ have many of Superman's powers. I didn't have heat vision or x-ray vision. And I didn't have frost breath or the power of flight either. However, I was much faster than a normal human (Fury clocked my average running speed at one hundred miles per hour) and I was able to leap very high into the air (around a hundred feet).

"Well, those tests were certainly insightful," Fury inspected me as he read over his notes, "As much as I want to put you into a cell as a precaution, I am a man of my words. Stark, he's all yours now."

Stark and I were "escorted" out of the SHIELD compound by the group of agents that was standing behind me in the HUMAN lab. As the gates closed behind us, Stark looked at me and placed his hand on his face, "_What_ am I going to do with you?"

* * *

It took Stark nearly a week to forge fake ID papers and make a background story for me.

"Your father's name was David Park, while your mother's name was Rachel Lee," Stark explained as he gave me a stack of papers, "They both died in a car accident when you were five years old, so you grew up in an orphanage until recently. Since David was a close friend of mine and since I felt _very_ generous, I decided to adopt you."

"So do I have to change my name, or?"

The billionaire violently shook his head, "No. You're not a Stark, and never will be. You might be my "son," but your name will remain Darren Park. For now, go to your room and review the papers. I want you to memorize them within three days."

I picked up the papers and walked to my room without any objections. Despite my best efforts to try and build a relationship with the man, he was extremely reluctant to speak with me or approach me outside of meals and "official business." He might have vouched for my sakes in front of Fury, but he wasn't going to try and get all friendly with me right off the bat. I wasn't surprised by his attitude, but it did make me feel extremely lonely.

I entered the large suite that was set aside for me within Stark Mansion. The room was huge, bigger than my old house's living room, and contained all the essentials: a desk with a powerful PC personally built by Stark, a large king-sized bed, exercise equipment, bookshelves filled with interesting books, and a closet filled with clothes that Stark purchased for me. While Stark saw me as a stranger, he was extremely generous and provided for all of my needs.

After I closed the door to my room, I sank into the bed and flipped through my new reading material. The first few pages contained all the necessary identification papers to prove that I was from this world. Copies of my new passport, my Society Security Card, my birth certificate, and other important government documents were present for me to verify. All my personal information was identical to the information I used on Earth Negative, with the exception of my birth year which was listed as 1996. The next few pages contained information about my "parents." My father was a computer programmer who worked for Stark Industries, while my mother was a high school math teacher. They were both thirty years old when they died. I was born in LA, like Earth Negative, but I moved to New York at the age of three after my father started working for Stark Industries. I stayed at an orphanage in upstate New York after my parents' deaths and was adopted by Stark a week ago.

I finished reading the two dozen pages provided for me within two minutes. This was due to an ability I discovered _after_ I returned from SHIELD HQ. I was flipping through a book during my first day at the mansion when I realized that I was able to read things rapidly and memorize every little detail of anything I read. It was a useful ability and was an ability I used quite frequently due to my continued boredom.

Stark was reluctant to allow me access to any parts of the mansion outside of the dining room and my own room. As such, I usually spent most of my time training with the training equipment I was provided with, surfing the web for any useful information about this world, and reading books on science and engineering.

Working out on the bench press felt like a chore, especially since I was able to benchpress nearly four hundred pounds continuously. As for the treadmill, I was able to consistently run one minute miles and go faster if I needed to. Still, I worked out constantly, as I wanted to stretch my physical limits and maintain my current condition.

Surfing the web was far more interesting. I discovered interesting articles and journals about various sightings of metahumans in this world. As Fury mentioned before, metahumans existed, but they were very rare. The real names of the metahumans were covered up by the government, but the powers of some of them were known. I wondered how I was going to be labeled by SHIELD: was I a "natural" metahuman or an "unnatural" metahuman?

At the same time, I looked up more about SHIELD and the difference between Earth Negative and Earth 200000. There were many differences, but oddly enough, the two worlds were more similar than different. Only a few anomalies like metahumans, HYDRA, and SHIELD were what separated my birth world from this world.

When I wasn't working out or on the PC, I was reading one of the hundreds of books in the room. They were leftovers given to me by Tony, but I read them eagerly as I knew the technology here was more advanced than that of Earth Negative. As an electrical engineering major myself, I was all too happy to read about the information that was considered "common" in this world but completely unknown in my homeworld. My new abilities helped tremendously in this regard. Everything from fusion energy to advanced AI excited me to no ends.

I assumed that today was going to be like the last several days and was doodling the logo for Superman on a sketchpad when someone knocked on my bedroom door. As I opened the door, I felt both nervous and hopeful. Was I going to be allowed to leave my room and explore the mansion freely? Or maybe Stark felt guilty for keeping me isolated and decided to come to speak with me personally?

Instead of Stark standing at the doorway, it was his assistant Pepper Potts. She was unaware of my real background and only knew about the fack cover story that Stark provided me with. As I opened the door, the woman gave me a curt nod, "Tony wants me to escort you to the garage. He says he has something interesting for you to work on."

"The garage?"

Potts nodded and motioned for me to follow her. She didn't look annoyed at having to deal with me, but the red-haired woman sent me curious glances every so often. The glances stopped when we walked down the stairs and arrived at the garage, which was also Tony's lab.

The lab was similar to the lab I saw in _Ironman_. There were numerous expensive cars strewn across the garage. The garage's floor was littered with various parts and machines everywhere, though the owner of the lab didn't seem to mind. Stark was working on a new Iron Man suit which I assumed was the Mark IV. It looked weaker and lighter than the Mark III but was portable as evident by the unique suitcase that was next to Stark's feet. The CEO of Stark Industries noticed my arrival and gestured for Potts to leave, which she did without hesitation. After she left, Stark pressed a button on his computer and four different machines emerged from the floor. I recognized one of the machines immediately; it looked exactly like the weight lifting machine in the HUMAN lab back at the SHIELD compound. The other three looked like advanced pieces of gym equipment. I saw a leg press, a treadmill, and a pitching machine.

I watched silently as Stark sip a cup of vegetable juice. He caught my gaze and coughed awkwardly while turning away from me, "So uh... sports."

"Sports?"

"You like sports?"

"I'm a huge baseball fan."

The billionaire nodded his head and looked at his computer screen instead of answering. A deafening silence hung in the air for several seconds before Stark cleared his throat loudly, "These machines, they're for you."

"Can I test them out?"

"Go right ahead," Stark stated as he lightly pushed me forward.

I walked up to the weight lifting machine (which was marked as the SB 1) and dialed the settings to three hundred pounds. I slowly lifted the handle that was attached to the machine and completed a set of bicep curls, "Did you get this from SHIELD?"

"No," Stark immediately answered. He scratched his neck and sighed, "Yes, but I modified it a bit. So technically, it's a different machine. Try the other ones."

The treadmill was self-explanatory, though it was much better than the one I had in my room. It was upgraded to allow the person using it to run up to three hundred miles an hour (how that was possible, I didn't know). As for the leg press, it had a dual function as I was able to push the machine with either my hands or my legs. Compared to the other three contraptions, the pitching machine stood out noticeably.

"What's the pitching machine for?"

"Stand in front of the net and I'll show you."

I followed his instructions reluctantly and stood in front of the net that was near the pitching machine, "Can I get a bat for this? Or are you afraid I'll break one of your cars?"

The older man snorted, "I wanted to clear the garage anyways. You would be doing me a favor by breaking a few of them. The SB 4 isn't an ordinary pitching machine, it's a machine that I built to increase your durability and endurance."

As Stark activated the machine, my mind screamed for me to duck as an iron ball the size of a golf ball flung itself towards me. I narrowly dodged the projectile, but another iron ball hit me straight in the head. My head ached from the hit and I was _pissed_.

"What the hell was that for?"

"It's not my fault that you ducked and got hit in the head," Stark replied as he turned off the machine, "You're _almost_ invulnerable, kid. Your body is able to deflect bullets and blades. These iron balls won't hurt you at all, it'll just bruise you."

I touched the place where my head was hit gently, "You could have warned me beforehand."

"Well, where's the fun in that?"

Seriously, if Stark wasn't my "guardian," I would've been tempted to strangle him.

"Also, what does the "SB" stand for?"

Stark pointed at the "SB" logo on the pitching machine, "Oh you mean this? It stands for "Super Boy." You mentioned this guy named "Super Man" on your Earth, so I thought the name "Super Boy" was fitting."

"Wait, so are you saying I'm "Superboy?"

The CEO of Stark Industries rolled his eyes, "Well, you're not a man."

Despite the anger I felt towards the man, I was amused by his replies. His biting remarks were familiar and he acted much friendlier than before.

I picked myself up and laughed, "It's good to talk to you like this, Mr. Stark."

"Well, I am a busy man," Stark tapped on his keyboard for a few moments before looking back up at me, "Look. If you're angry about me grounding you to your room for the last week, I'm not going to apologize. But, since you've been behaving nicely for the past week and haven't searched up anything weird on the internet, I'll let you work out in the garage freely starting tomorrow."

"Wait, you've been searching up my internet history?"

"Did you really think I would allow you to use a PC I built myself without any restrictions?"

"No."

"Good, now go to your room. We'll talk more tomorrow."

On that note, I was excused from the garage and sent back to my room. Stark still mistrusted me, but he was giving me a chance to improve my relationship with him. I was confident that I could get closer to him and help him avoid any problems in the future. The man was prickly, but he had a good heart.

And I knew I had no time to waste. I needed to improve my abilities and get on Stark's/Fury's good sides, for the sake of myself and for the sake of this world.

* * *

_AN: Just a rush of inspiration._

_So what powers does the MC have? He'll have the Superboy powers (Young Justice) template to start with (heavily nerfed initially). As of now, he has:_

_1) Strength (up to half a ton as of now)._

_2) Speed (around one hundred miles an hour)._

_3) Super leap (one hundred feet)._

_4) Increased intelligence (this was isn't one of Superboy's original powers, but it was a power I added to the current MC)._

_5) Super hearing._

_6) Durability (not completely invulnerable, but extremely durable)._

_He will gain more powers as time goes on, but he'll need to adjust and grow first._

_As for the plot changes, that will be revealed in future updates. Earth 200000 will be noticeably different than Earth 199999 but also similar in many ways. _

_Thanos will still be a major plot villain (along with Loki and the canon villains), though there will be a few new, original ones throughout the storyline._

_Edit: The reason why I use a cliche for the OC's appearance in the MCU is simple: "God" will become an important figure later on. In fact, he'll become one of the most crucial figures in the entire story. So I apologize for being cliche, but you'll discover the reasoning behind this later on._


	2. Chapter 2

"Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen."

I gritted my teeth as I lifted the handle of the machine one final time and locked the weights into place. I took a glimpse at the screen and saw that the number "2000" was flashing on the screen.

I had been training in Stark's garage for nearly a month now and my capabilities had improved noticeably. I wasn't as strong as Superman was in his prime, but I was definitely getting stronger by the day. In just a month, I had nearly doubled my personal best in lifting (for this world). My speed, durability, and jumping abilities had been enhanced as well. It felt odd that I was capable of doing superhuman feats, but I was slowly adjusting to my life as a "superman."

As I rolled my shoulders and looked at the leg press for my next workout, Stark walked into the garage with two very large cups in his hand, "So Superboy, getting your daily exercise in?"

"Just finished my last set for the SB1," I flashed the man a small grin, "Do you want to join me?"

"No thanks, I already jogged for twenty minutes today. I think that's plenty of exercise for me."

The two of us had an odd relationship and spoke to each other daily. Stark was still reserved around me but never missed a chance to make smart-ass remarks. I treated him respectfully as I could, but I knew that it would take time for the man to consider me as a "friend" and even longer for him to trust me. This Tony Stark wasn't the same Tony Stark from Endgames, he was a man that was selfish, narcissistic, and untested.

Stark handed me one of the cups he was holding, "This is for you."

I took it and inspected it carefully. With Stark, you never knew what he had in store for you, "What is this?"

"Vegetable juice, the same thing I'm drinking right now," Stark took a sip out of his own cup to prove his point.

I stirred my cup and watched the green murky substance swirl around inside. After I prepared my gut, I took a few sips and swallowed, "This tastes a little odd, Mr. Stark."

"Well, since you're _special_, I decided to add a few extra goodies into your juice."

"Goodies?"

"About twenty energy drinks."

I stared at the man disbelievingly as I inspected my cup once again, "You did _what_?"

The CEO of Stark Industries shrugged without a word and walked away. Before he left the garage, he turned back towards me and shouted, "Make sure to finish up within thirty minutes! I want to use the lab as soon as possible."

He slammed the door to the garage firmly shut and left me alone with a single cup of a vegetable juice and energy drink cocktail. I was fairly certain that he forgot that I had only been down in the garage for about thirty minutes. Generally, I had two hours to work out in the garage by myself. But since I was being kicked out after an hour, it meant that I was only going to be able to get half of my exercise routine done.

I sighed and sipped the cocktail. Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

If you were given superpowers, what would you do first?

My answer was simple: become a superhero and help save people like superheroes do in comic books and movies.

Yet here I was, about a month after I have received my powers, and I was still confined to the boundaries of Stark Mansion. The most appropriate term to explain my current situation was "house arrest." I was allowed to move more freely within the Stark Mansion now, but I was still forbidden from showing myself to the outside world. It was understandable but very frustrating. Even with my current powers, I could still be out in the world helping people. Instead, I was stuck in an endless cycle of working out, eating, and sleeping. At this point, I just wanted to _see_ the outside world instead of being stuck on Stark's property all day.

As I sat down to eat lunch with Stark, who had just returned from the garage after several hours of experimenting, I asked the biggest question in my mind out loud, "Can I go out for a bit?"

"Why?"

"I'm getting a bit stuffy being stuck in the house."

"What, you don't like my house?" Stark stretched out his arms, "Most people would kill to live in my house for a few days. And besides, you can do whatever you need to do outside within the mansion."

"Breathing in fresh air while I run through a park?"

"I can just move the SB 3 to the top floor, turn it into a small park, and make you a retractable roof."

"Going to nearby stores and go shopping?"

"You can do that through Amazon and god knows how many other websites."

"Talking face to face with people other than you and Ms. Potts?"

"Getting sick of me already? Well, I can just call up some celebrities and ask them to meet you. Who do you want to meet? Elon Musk, Mark Reynolds..."

I stopped him before he started rattling off all the celebrities he knew, "The point is, I feel useless here and I want to be able to help people with the powers I received."

Potts brought us a plate of pasta each and placed it in front of us. Stark and I remained silent while she was around and only started talking again when she left, "Kid, you're currently under _my_ watch. If you go out there and bust bones or break buildings by accident, _I_ have to take responsibility for it. Not only that, I don't know if I should even trust you to be outside without my supervision."

"Then can't you supervise me?" I asked.

"No, because I have an important business meeting to attend to today," Stark frowned at me and took a bite of pasta.

"What about if I just go out and explore without using my powers?'

Stark snorted, "Could have fooled me."

I grabbed my fork in order to eat my pasta. However, I gripped the fork a bit more strongly than I intended and accidentally deformed the shape of the eating utensil. Stark stared at the lobsided fork and sighed, "Just for today, I'll let you go out for a bit. But I'll need to make a call first."

"Seriously?" I replied as I attempted to eat some pasta with the deformed fork in my hand.

"Well, it's better than having an angry teenager with super strength couped into my house while I'm gone."

"I'm twenty-one."

Iron Man pulled out his phone and pushed his plate away from him, "In this world, you're fourteen. And just so we're clear; if you go out, you _can't use your powers_. If you do, then... I'll think of something. For now, eat your lunch quietly."

An hour later, I was just outside the mansion in the outfit I wore when I arrived in this world (with a new white shirt to replace the one I had singled previously). Stark stood next to me wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase A black SUV was parked on the streets and four armed men stepped out of the vehicle. I stiffened when I saw them, but Stark stepped forward and greeted the leader of the group, "You must be from SHIELD."

"Agent Coulson. I was tasked with watching over your adoptive son for the day," Agent Coulson straightened his suit and glanced me over, "I can't say I've been a babysitter before, but I wasn't left with a choice."

"You've read the reports about him, right? I don't think "babysitting" is the right word for this job."

The SHIELD agent remained passive as he placed his hands on his waist, "I've read the files on... Superboy. No need to worry, if he gets out of hand, then I'll deal with him."

What was I, a dog to them? It almost sounded like I was some sort of animal that was going to be put down if I misbehaved.

"Let him explore Malibu, and maybe the outskirts of LA. But don't take him anywhere densely populated," Stark slapped Coulson's back, "He's all yours."

Before he left, Stark handed me a credit card for me to use and handed the agent the briefcase he was holding. He leaned in and whispered a few words to the man. Unknown to him, I heard every word he said to the agent.

"If he gets in trouble, give him the briefcase and have him open it."

Discreetly, I glanced at the briefcase in Agent Coulson's hand. It was an ordinary black briefcase with no special features. I wondered what the hell was in that briefcase. Was it some sort of weapon? Or maybe power dampeners?

I looked at Agent Coulson awkwardly and he returned the stare. He gripped the briefcase tightly and escorted me to the SUV, "Now then. Stark said that you wanted to go shopping?"

"Yep," I said as I was squeezed between two agents who were evidently armed.

Agent Coulson spoke into his earpiece silently. I heard what he was saying, but kept my facial expressions blank as I eavesdropped on him, "Unit Eleven reporting in. Moving to Malibu Village Plaza with Omega Four. ETA fifteen minutes. All units remain on standby in case of an emergency."

The SUV drove through the tourist-filled streets of Malibu and stopped at one of the local shopping centers. The agents filed out orderly and allowed me to exit the vehicle without a fuss. After I started to walk towards one of the shops, only Agent Coulson remained by my side. The other agents tailed me carefully from a distance.

"Take all the time you need, because I _love_ watching kids shop for clothes," The agent remarked dryly.

"I already get enough sarcasm from Mr. Stark," I muttered under my breath.

I strolled through a few stores and bought an entirely new wardrobe for myself, courtesy of Stark. It felt nice to be outside and walk around like an ordinary human being. Admittedly, I bent several coat hangers on accident due to my super strength, but other than that, I managed to act normally. After two hours, I had several bags filled with clothing loaded up into the SUV and readied myself to return to Stark Mansion for the day. I did want to spend a few more hours outside freely, but Agent Coulson looked extremely disgruntled and I was hoping my good behavior would convince Stark to let me out more often.

Unfortunately, the day wasn't going to end peacefully.

My super-hearing picked up a conversation that was happening behind one of the shops and what I heard rooted me in place.

"You think he's going to use that gun anytime soon?"

"The kid said he was going to use that weapon today at the local high school. Apparently, he's suicidal and wants to take down a bunch of his former bullies."

"Heh, I don't care what he does with that gun since I made an easy profit of $800. I guess we'll see him on the news later today."

I know I promised Stark that I would try to stay out of trouble, but I wasn't going to let a school shooting happen under my watch. Especially since I was probably the perfect superhero to stop an armed shooter.

I turned to Agent Coulson quickly and tapped him on the shoulder gently, "I need to use my powers."

"For what?"

"I just overheard a conversation that some kid is going to shoot up a school today. If there's anyone that could deal with it, it's me."

Agent Coulson looked at me carefully, "Do you know _where_ it's going to happen? And who did you hear that from?"

"Two thugs sold a handgun to a kid who's suicidal. He's planning to shoot up his high school _today_."

"How do you know if they're not joking around?"

I shook my head at his ridiculous statement, "Why would someone joke about selling a gun to a student?"

The agent stepped away for a moment and spoke into his earpiece, "All units, Omega Four facing potential threats. Ready for deployment and support."

After speaking to what I presumed were other agents, Agent Coulson handed me the briefcase, "Just to warn you, Stark told me earlier that if you used your powers, you're grounded for a month."

"I'll take my chances," I answered as I took the briefcase from him. I opened it to discover a set of black jeans, a navy blue t-shirt, and a small box with a button that said, "Press Me!"

I took out the box and pressed the button. Suddenly, the box folded outwards and reshaped itself into a black motorcycle helmet with a tinted visor. I inspected it for a few brief moments and then placed it on my head.

"Welcome, Superboy," A female voice from the helmet said, "I am JENNI, developed by Anthony Edward Stark."

A visual interface appeared on the visor and acted like JARVIS in Tony's own Iron Man suits. I gasped in surprise as I recognized the reason why he developed this for me; as a form of protection and a way to conceal my identity.

I lifted the visor and spoke to the agent who was watching silently, "I'll be back."

"No, we're coming along with you. Recover any information regarding this school shooting and then return here. Once you come back, we'll plot our next course of action."

I didn't object as I changed into the clothing Stark provided for me and concealed my face with the visor, "I'll be back _after_ I get more information from the thugs."

Without any hesitation, I sped towards the place where I heard the voices. Luckily, the people that were discussing the weapons sale was still in the same place, smoking and chatting amongst themselves. I knocked out one of them without stopping (which was fairly easy to do since I was speeding in at two hundred miles an hour) and grabbed the other one by the throat. Thankfully, the helmet had a voice modifier so I sounded older than I actually was, "I overheard something interesting. One of you mentioned that you sold a handgun to a kid at a local high school."

The guy I was holding struggled the breath, so I placed him down onto the ground but maintained my grip on him, "Now tell me, who is this kid and which high school does he go to?"

"Who the hell are you?" The man demandingly asked.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that _you_ sold a gun to a suicidal kid who wants to shoot up a school. Now talk!"

Instead of answering the guy swiftly pulled out a gun and shot me at point-blank range in the chest. The bullet bounced off me and I watched as the deformed bullet fell onto the ground without scratching me.

I grabbed the gun out of his hand and stepped on it. The gun broke into several pieces under the strength of my legs, which made the thug turn pale.

"Now I won't ask again. Talk."

* * *

"Malibu High School. There's a kid with a handgun at Malibu High School. He's planning to shoot up the school _today_," I told Agent Coulson as I returned with the two thugs in tow. Both of them were unconscious as I knocked out the guy I was interrogating after he answered all of my questions. It was ruthless, but I wasn't going to allow them to get off scot-free. And besides, SHIELD was a federal agency and I was _pretty_ certain that their jurisdiction covered any threats to domestic security.

Agent Coulson had two of the agents take away the unconscious men and hopped into the car, "Get in."

As I walked up to the SUV, I spoke to JENNI through my helmet, "JENNI, can you navigate me to Malibu High School and give me any current information about the school?"

"Of course, Superboy. From your location, you will be able to reach Malibu High School in approximately two minutes. The school is five miles away, but I have planned the safest and most optimal route for your trip."

"Wait, you know that I can run really fast?"

"Yes. I am able to scan your entire body and determine the rough estimate for your maximum strength, speed, and endurance."

So this helmet wasn't only to keep me safe and help conceal my identity, but it was also being used to collect information about me. Before I had time to ponder on that fact, JENNI spoke to me urgently, "Superboy, I am receiving information from local police radios that shots have been fired within Malibu High School."

I snapped my head towards Agent Coulson, "Shots have already been fired in the school, agent. I can run there in three minutes, so I'll meet you there."

Instead of waiting for his reply, I zoomed away running as fast I could on the path that JENNI prepared for me. I wasn't as fast as the Flash, but things moved slower around me and I was able to make it to Malibu High School before the cops even showed up.

I stopped behind one of the back entrances of the high school to catch my breath, "JENNI, what is the situation inside the school?"

"I have managed to do a quick scan of Malibu High School and have determined that the shooter is currently towards the Malibu High School Gym building, which is located on the northern side of the campus."

"Can you give me an estimate of how many people are in the gym?"

"Approximately two hundred people. There are nine bodies on the ground."

"Shit," I ran towards the gym which had been highlighted on my screen by JENNI. A bunch of people was streaming out of the gym already, but JENNI claimed that there were still many people inside. I ran in without hesitation and found a small teenage boy with a handgun shooting a teacher in the shoulder.

Before the boy could fire another shot, I ran in front of him and knocked the gun out of his hand, "That's enough."

The teenager let out a cry and placed his hand into his pocket. Before he could pull out anything, I punched him in the face and knocked him out.

And just like that, it was over.

I patted the guy down and broke the knife he had in his pocket. Then, I stepped on his handgun and scattered the pieces apart. After I was satisfied with the destruction of the weapons, I proceeded to use a nearby school banner to tie him up to a railing.

It was then I realized that the gym was entirely silent except for the sounds of my actions.

I turned around to see that everyone was staring at me and I felt pretty self-conscious about the fact that I was being looked at like a gorilla in a zoo exhibit. However, I still had a job to finish.

I ran around and inspected the wounds of all the individuals that had been shot. Amazingly, all thirteen people that had been shot weren't dead and still alive when I got to them. I gently picked up five people that were critically wounded and had injuries that looked life-threatening, "I'm taking these five to the hospital! Please treat the other wounded if you can!"

As I raced out of the gym, I spoke into my helmet, "JENNI plan the most optimal route to a nearby hospital. If you can, contact them and say that there are five critically wounded patients on the way."

"I have set a course to Malibu General Hospital for you which is two minutes away. I have also alerted the hospital staff about the incoming patients and the reasons for their injuries."

"Thank you JENNI."

The trip was quick and I placed the people I was carrying onto the stretchers that were brought by the hospital staff. All of the hospital staff looked at me strangely but wheeled the injured civilians into the hospital without asking.

I ran to an empty construction site nearby and leaned against a wall to catch a break. While I was resting, a flashing icon appeared on my screen, "Superboy, you have an urgent call from Agent Coulson of SHIELD. Should I patch him through?"

"Go ahead."

A picture of Agent Coulson appeared on my screen as his voice called out to me, "Superboy, what is your current location?"

"Some empty construction site approximately two miles from the hospital, why?"

"Because you disappeared right away after taking down that shooter. Are you _trying_ to escape from us right now?"

"Agent Coulson, if I wanted to escape, I would have left Malibu and ran towards Los Angeles."

"Can you return to Stark Mansion right now?"

I took a deep breath, "Yeah I should be there in about..."

"At your top speed, you will be at Stark Mansion in about three minutes, Superboy," JENNI stated helpfully.

"Four minutes."

"Good, I want to talk to you after you arrive, so be prepared."

I gulped nervously as the phone called ended. I ran towards Stark Mansion and during the short journey, my mind raked at the consequences I would face when I returned to the mansion. I mean, technically I didn't do anything wrong. If anything, I probably (hopefully) saved people's lives, stopped two thugs selling weapons illegally, and prevented a school shooter from killing people.

My body instinctively slowed down in front of Stark Mansion. Right after I stopped, I was spotted by Agent Coulson. He was with numerous SHIELD agents and surrounded by several SUVs, "Hurry into this SUV and get changed."

I changed into my normal, everyday wear while SHIELD agents guarded the vehicle I was changing in. After a minute, I stepped out of the SUV and was dragged away by Agent Coulson, "Look, _Superboy_."

Despite my superhuman abilities, I was still nervous at the possibilities of being taken by SHIELD, "Yes?"

"Good work."

"What?" I looked at the SHIELD agent in shock.

"Director Fury will probably think differently, but I think you did well," Agent Coulson admitted, "Truthfully, we weren't sure what your intentions were. But you managed to handle that situation decently. Of course, you're still green and it seems like you don't know the limits of your strength, but you managed to stop the shooter and save people."

"What do you mean I don't know my limits?" I knew that I didn't have perfect control, but I thought I managed to restrain myself for the most part.

"Well, the two thugs you knocked out are in the hospital right now. One of them has several _shattered_ ribs and a ruptured lung. The other one is in a coma from the head trauma he received. You also destroyed parts of the gym floor when you stomped on the shooter's gun and damaged the ceiling when you pulled down that banner."

I scratched the back of my head as I recalled all the events that happened today, "I guess you're right."

"Looks like you couldn't even avoid trouble for two _hours_," A voice called out behind me.

Stark walked up to me and Agent Coulson, "I left the meeting early because Agent Coulson here called me saying that you have been a bad boy."

"I tried my best to save people, Mr. Stark."

"Well, you're in _heaps_ of trouble" Stark folded his arms, "And you're grounded."

"Wait then why did you even create that helmet for me?"

"Because I knew that you would try to do something stupid the moment you stepped out of the mansion, so I built as a _precaution_. That helmet also has a tracking device so SHIELD and I could locate you."

Agent Coulson interjected himself into the conversation, "For now, I'll have to bring him back to the SHIELD compound. Director Fury wants a word with him."

"Just to be clear, I made him behave for a month," Stark said as he threw his hands up in the air.

I entered one of the SUVs and the SUV convoy made its way to the SHIELD compound. The trip took around thirty minutes and my heavily armed escorts directed me to the HUMAN lab. Inside, Fury and a bald guy in a lab coat were waiting for me. The man looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on the reason why.

"Ah, the one who's responsible for my current headache," Fury looked... amused as he glared at me, "Do you know how much paperwork I had to deal with because of your little stunt?"

"I can only imagine... er, sir," I answered. In my mind, I imagined Fury reading mountains of reports from the police, the government, and loads of other organizations that wanted to know just _what_ I was.

"Well, for starters, you're on the news _everywhere_," Fury led me and the bald guy into a private office and turned on the TV inside. The screen flickered to life and displayed a shaky video of me running into Malibu High School's gym and beating down the gunman in an instant. The headlines under the video blared, "Mysterious Speedster Takes Down School Shooter."

"Most people, aren't aware of the existence of meta-humans and even if they did, they're sworn to secrecy on the matter. The fact that you _zoomed_ into a gym filled with people and left behind evidence of your existence has left _me_ in a very bad position. I've been getting phone calls from the FBI, the NSA, and even the _president_ himself."

My hands shook nervously as I looked down at the ground. Fury walked up to me menacingly and towered over me, "In fact, if I had it my way, I would just trap you in this lab and make sure you don't pull a stunt like this ever again. But lucky for you, I have a job for you; a job that concerns the security and stability of our society."

Fury motioned for the bald guy to step forward, "This is Professor Charles Francis Xavier, a SHIELD researcher that specializes in meta-humans."

I barely held my facial expressions in check as I realized who the man was. The "bald guy" was actually Professor X! The guy who led the X-Men! Though it seems like in this world, he wasn't the leader of the X-Men and an ordinary researcher.

"Now, it should be obvious, but I still don't trust you," The cyclops mentioned, "But Professor Xavier will help me determine if you should even be trusted to help us."

"Wait, how?" Judging by what Fury just said, I assumed that Professor X had meta-human powers. Regardless, I feigned ignorance.

The man smirked, "You'll see. Now Professor Xavier, if you don't mind."

Professor Xavier walked up to me and smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, it won't hurt. Just relax and stay calm."

He gripped my head and closed his eyes. Mentally, I prayed that he wouldn't see himself or the other Marvel heroes of my world in my memories because that would "break the universe" as God had mentioned previously. However, I didn't know how to mentally defend myself so I allowed him to enter my mind.

My consciousness was suddenly drawn into my own mind and before I knew it, I was next to Professor Xavier in a large hall. The professor glanced at me surprisingly, "Darren, I didn't expect you to follow me into your mind."

"It wasn't planned. I was sucked in out of the blue," I replied as I looked around. The hall was filled with dozens of bookshelves and each bookshelf had hundreds of books with marked dates on them, "I thought my mind would be more chaotic."

"Yes, well. Every person's mind is different. But I have never seen someone's mind as organized as yours," Professor Xavier said as he trotted over to one of the bookshelves labeled "2019," "You're from the future?"

"It's a long and complicated story."

"By all means, go ahead and explain. Then we can explore your mind."

It took me about half an hour (or was it half an hour? I couldn't tell in this realm) to explain my entire story to him (with the specifications for Earth Negative omitted). When I finished, he nodded understandingly and patted me on the back, "You have been through much, Darren. I heard about you from Director Fury, but I never heard the full story until now. However, I will still need to verify what you said with these "books," if you don't mind."

I hesitated for a few moments before giving my approval, "I have... information that may change the future greatly. So please read them sparingly."

"Will do," Professor Xavier pulled out the book labeled, "October 1st, 2019." October 1st was when I was pulled into this world, so his choice wasn't surprising. He opened the book and went still for a few seconds before returning to his senses, "Odd. When I opened the book, I was instantly sucked into your memories and saw them from your perspective. Not all of them, but the most important bits. How peculiar and terrifying."

He placed the book back onto the bookshelf and rifled through a few other books from random dates. After going through about a dozen of my memories, he closed the final book and looked at me, "Well, unless you're a very powerful psychic, even more so than myself, then I believe you are telling the truth and have good intentions. But before we leave your mindscape, I will give you a warning."

"A warning?"I echoed.

"Yes. It seems as though in your other life, you were born without meta-human powers. You were a kind and generous soul, which I can see due to the circumstances surrounding your death," Professor Xavier explained, "However, absolute power can corrupt absolutely. Remember the values and beliefs you held in your homeworld, and keep them close to your heart. Do not let your powers corrupt you."

I swallowed hard as I thought about Magneto, "I understand, sir."

"Please, just call me Professor or Xavier," The researcher placed the book away and looked up, "It is time for us to return."

* * *

"Superboy!"

My head suddenly snapped to attention and I discovered that Fury was shaking me.

"Er... Hello," I stated awkwardly.

"Good. I thought you were dead for a few seconds," The African American man rubbed his chin, "Though if you did die, I would just need to deal with deposing your body."

I decided not to respond to that comment and looked at Professor Xavier, who was also coming to. He turned to the director of SHIELD and nodded, "He's trustworthy."

"Well then, congratulations on your initiation," Fury declared sarcastically, "Unfortunately, I don't have any fancy uniforms or pins to give you, so I'll give you an assignment instead."

"Wait, you're just going to throw me into missions just like that?"

Fury sighed, "Look, kid. If I had a choice, I would have assigned someone with more experience and training. However, this assignment is very dangerous. And since you're a meta-human _and_ nearly invincible, I decided that you were best suitable for the job."

Judging from his tone and his speech, he sounded distressed, "What's the assignment then?"

"I'll take that as a "yes" to the assignment," Fury said as he handed me a file.

I skimmed through the file and realized why he had assigned me for the task. The file was a report on the growing number of meta-humans in the United States and a map that showed the approximate locations of these new meta-humans, "I thought you said there weren't a lot of meta-humans in this world?"

"Yes, there _weren't_. However, ever since you came into this world, the meta-human gene has "awakened."

"Meta-human gene?"

Professor Xavier stepped in between the two of us, "Let me explain, Darren. The meta-human gene is what allows an ordinary person to gain extraordinary powers. Every person has the gene within them, but it is dormant for nearly the entire population. Strangely, around the time you arrived in this world, the gene "awakened" in a growing number of people. We don't know if it was your presence that caused this, but the point is the number of meta-humans have slowly been on the rise."

"How do you know the number of people with the awakened mutant gene has spiked?"

"That is a secret that you do not need to know," Fury interrupted, "What you _do_ need to know is that some of these newly minted meta-humans are dangerous. Not all of them have the heroic urges as you do. And unfortunately, it is my job to deal with them."

The name "Cerebro" rang through my mind immediately, but I kept my mouth shut as the professor spoke, "This is why Director Fury is requesting your assistance. Even with the best agents and latest technologies available to him, meta-humans are not easy to deal with."

"Basically, you want me as a walking meat shield to beat down any meta-humans?" I asked accusingly.

"It's either that, or you get a nice cozy cot in this lab for a few years," The director offered, "Did Stark not tell you about this?"

My eyes widened in surprise, "He was supposed to tell me about this?"

"Well, yes. I sent him a package containing this information a week ago."

I groaned and leaned heavily against the wall behind me, "He didn't tell me anything about this."

Fury shrugged, "I can't do anything about that but I need your decision now. Are you in, or out?"

"I'm in."

"Good. Now your first assignment will be in LA. Mission details will be sent to your... Stark's residence later."


End file.
